Buffing can be
done by hand (for a sheen), or be done with a power tool
of some kind (for a sheen to high gloss shine) on smooth
clay (generally sanded first).

Since
sandingalone also leaves a lightened,
cloudy surface on the baked clay, some kind of buffing
is needed to remove it.(.....or other things can be
done instead... see Other Ways to Get Sheen and Other Ways to Get Shine
below)

If objects which have been previously
buffed or sealedbecome dull looking, hand or machine buffingwill bring backthe shine.

some
variables

You can
get any finish from a nice silky sheen all the way up to a really-glossy
shine on baked clay by sanding and buffing (how it ends up depends on how
you do it, and which materials you've used, etc.) (... you could always
buff the clay without sanding
it first, but the sheen-shine won't be nearly as great)

Generally,
the longer you buff, the glossier the
finish will be.

The smoother the clay before buffing,
the higher the shine will be (see Sanding
> Smoothing Before Sanding)

Donna
Kato pointed out that if you add moisture somehow before buffing
(esp with translucent clays), the buffed oject actually glows....she
wet her piece.......I have noticed
that wetting the piece also keeps the muslin pads on an electric
buffer from getting hot so the piece buffs up very quickly... it
also tightens the pad just a bit. Jeannette.... I live at the beach
with very high humidity, so I've noticed I
have a different finished product when I polish here at home. syndee

The
amount of translucent in (a brand's) clay basehas a LOT to do with whether it'll shine up really glossy or not....
the more translucent, the shinier. (Sculpey brand
clay is more opaque; the other brands less so.) . . also, regular colors
may have various amounts of translucent in them (even if they don't "look"
translucent) --some colors have a lot (they also darken
more when baking....some colors though have white in the base
and it opaques the color more. You can tell pretty
easily, once you know what you are looking for... . for example, Flesh
has a mostly translucent base....so do some of the colors like purple
and magenta. Sarajane H.

brands ...I have noticed that
there's a difference in the "shinability" between different brands when buffing...
Fimo appears to give the smoothest and also most durable shine of
the ones I've tried...in fact, I have gotten away with not Varathaning pieces
which have only been covered with a veneer of Fimo........also, so
far the Fimo ones have not lost their buffed shine after many wearings.....Kato
clay has a natural sheen finish even without buffing, so it gets a glass-hard
smooth shine when buffed....Sculpey and Sculpey III may buff up the least
glossy since they have the most matte textures after baking (?) (SuperSculpey
is mostly translucent)....Sculpey...I
have noticed that all the sanding (and buffing?) in the world won't make Sculpeyreally shiney . . . Diana.......right, Sculpey is the most
opaque of the clay brands, and the amount of translucent in (a brand's)
clay base has a LOT to do with whether it'll shine up....so try Premo,
or Fimo, or Cernit. Sarajane...also, certain colors (even
dark ones) within most brands (except Kato?) have more translucent than
other colors in that brand, so that can affect it too. Sarajane H.

liquid
clays... regular clay which has been mixed (softened) with liquid
clayseems to buff up easier, and looks nicer ...(but)
I'm a very thorough mixer.

(see
also using other materials on the suface then buffing, below in Other
Ways to Get Shine and Other Ways to Get Sheen)

You
can get an even better shine by re-baking the piece after you've
buffed it... then buff again. Thalassa......baking
after buffing does tone down the shine some, but all it takes then
is a quick rebuffand there you are, as shiny or shinier than before. DottyinCA(....see
also using brief high heat (350 just until bit of smoke) to create
a shiny finish, below in Misc > No Buffing))

Some clayers even like to use aliquid finish after sanding and buffing, for even
more beautiful gloss......or they may do severalrounds of
liquid finish-buffing... or liquid finish-brief baking-buffing...
after sanding(see more on those below in Misc. > Buffingplus liquid finishes).

misc.

buffing
"compounds" can mean different things for different media
(....stuff that's meant for use on metal can be different than stuff meant
for wood or stone, and also different than stuff meant for plastic.
I would highly recommend doing careful research on what's in the buffing compounds
and blocks before acquiring them for polymer clay.) ....Many compounds are
far too rough for baked polymer clay (which is relatively
soft), so generally none are used.....I do know of one product specifically
designed for working on plastics though - Novus. They make
a cleaner and light scratch remover and a heavy scratch remover.
But I've never tried it on polymer clay. http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=113
Desiree.......I tried the (white) buffing compound intended for plastic
but didn't see any difference on that piece than I did on pieces where
I didn't use it. So, I don't use it. DottyinCA

HAND
buffing

(can
achieve a nicesheen, but not a high
glosswithout
electric buffing)

Remember
that buffing by hand only (after sanding) can bring up a nice sheen,
but won't result in the really glossy shine that an electricbuffing can... a silky sheen can look more elegant than a high gloss shine
though......(a higher shine may be desired sometimes to give the added
depththat a high gloss creates, esp. for pieces which have used
translucent clay or mica clay in them
)

Many materials can act as buffers for clay btw.(technical
info:) ...... when we use very-very-fine textures, we call it "buffing"
but the basic principle is the same as sanding --we continue to smooth out ever
finer and finer scratches which were created by the previous rubbing with a slightly-coarser
surface ....various buffing materials are actually very-very fine "sandpapers"
since no surface is truly without texture or uneveness... during "buffing"
though, the heat created by the friction of rubbing even a lightly textured or
soft material very quickly over the (relatively) soft polymer clay is more important
than any "cutting" that's still occuring. The heat causes the clay to
soften slightly (like what happens in the oven), so the clay surface is then more
amenable to pressure and the slight abrasion of buffing still occuring to smooth
it.

examples of materials

FABRIC
based (with more or less texture):...you can buff
by hand with a clean soft cloth by vigorously rubbing
the piece for several minutes to bring out the sheen using fabrics like terrycloth,
or a t-shirt, or the pique knit used for polo shirts...your
own jeans,etc. ...my comforter cover ... I think
it's all cotton, a little bit courserthan a sheet but not
much....also, all that cushioning under it kinda wraps up around the egg,
so I think there is more surface contact that way and I can really shine it up
in huge rubs....lately I have been doing all the regular sanding
first, but instead of buffing it up to a high glossy shine, I just hand-polish
it with a piece of cotton after the last grit. ... I love the sheen and
the silky satinyfeel this gives. .......and,
when I put two pieces side by side in my display, it's most often the one that
is NOT buffedto a high gloss shine that sells first! (...of
course it depends on the item, but it is an interesting observation). Jenny Pat
...you may have read where the fleece side of an old sweatshirt
makes a wonderful polishing cloth for baked polymer pieces. Well, it does.
........(but also....if you cut 3-4 circles of sweatshirt material
about 1" in diameter or so, and attach it to your mandrel of a Dremel,
you should see the sheen it brings up! I love watching it!!! It beats out my muslin
wheel, I know that.)

PAPER-based:...
piece of an old brown grocery bag .
. . this was a tip posted by someone last summer, and it is also a lifesaver ..........(can
wad up then flatten the bags first for an even more fabric-y feel to the
bag) ...paper towels (Lylyfai says cheap ones are best and regular-buffs
afterward... LuxieLou says they worked well without even truly buffing afterward)

OTHER
materials:...quiltbatting polishes
sanded polyclay by hand extremely well, too. Sue.......(or cotton batting
should work too)....I was amazed at how
well the mouse pad buffed the bead with just a few 'swipes'. Now I have
something else I have to NOT throw away! Michelle....Before
a brief hand-buffing, you can lightly rub the sanded clay with fine
steel wool made for wood finishing (# 0000) to bring out a bit of subtle
shine.

other ways to get sheen

Re-heating
the baked clay after sanding (sometimes along with adding Softener-Diluent
first, and/or re-buffing) can remove thedusty
look created by sanding... but also can bring the clay up to a nice
sheen or a shiny finish, depending on how it's done......(for
the list of techniques used to re-bake, get rid of the dusty look from
sanding, and/or achieving a sheen or shine finish, look in
Sanding > OTHER WAYS to smooth or finish after sanding >
Re-Baking)

Boiling --or baking, then
brief boiling-- + buffing...For some reason, boiling
does something to the outside of the clay item ...........if
I bake as usual first, (then) I boil rapidly for
5 min... let "drip dry" (the same thing happens as just below?)..During
boiling, the clay will have acquired a coating of whitish substance, so
I simplybuffit off with a chamois-like cloth.......
you end up a bead with a luster that is usually achieved with sanding
and buffing or with Future........... I noticed little if any
coating or film on my pieces though, so could the whitish film possibly
be related to your water source? (or type of material pan was made from,
etc.?).... if what you're making has a lot of
nooks and crannies , it might not be worth the time it takes to get the
desired result. Kelly...Beads
that I'd boiled had a kind of matte finish (no buffing? or
different water?) ....... the two different finishes I got from the
two curing methods (boiling and baking) actually looked good
together--like getting two coordinatingbeads from the same
batch.(see more on boiling clay, etc., in Baking
> Boiling )

Rubbing various
materials into the clay, then buffing, can give a nice sheen too:...
things like clear (Natural) shoe polish wax, carnauba
waxes (Treewax, Mother's Car Wax, etc), saddle soap....I've
also had a lot better results when Irub the items I'm polishing with my
hands to add my body oils to the surface. It's an old technique we used
in photography to retouch scratches on negatives...you touched the side of your
nose (talk about body oil) and then rubbed your finger across the scratch
on the negative. Your body oil would fill in the scratch and you could print the
negative again. Syndee........I've rubbed pieces through my hair to
give them a bit of extra shine... it does work a treat. Sera....paraffin
wax on heated clay can work too ...more info about these in Finishes
> Other Ways to Get Sheen

ELECTRIC
buffers

(to
get a nice sheen, or all the way up to a high-gloss
shine)

general Use Info

Various
electrical units can be used (or modified to use) for buffing polymer clay:...bench
grinder (laterfitted with one or more muslin or flannel wheels)...tabletop-size
mini-bench grinder/polisher...
two-sided tabletop buffer...or a buffer sold esp. for buffing jewelry
like a Foredom...something you rig up yourself such as a muslin wheel
on an electric drill, etc....(you can also buff by hand)

Be
sure to keep the clay movingaround while you buff, and don't
press too hard into the wheel!(...if you your item is
pressed too hard against the wheel, the heat
created by the friction will cause the clay to soften
a bit, which in turn will allow the fibers of the wheel to dig into the clay leaving visiblegrooves and
gouges... the same kind of heat buildup will occur if they
clay is not moved around). ...also, try not to
touch (or hold) any freshly buffed areas...those areas will be
warm and soft and will easily takefingerprints.
DesireeDesiree's lesson on buffing (with a bench
grinder or Dremel)http://desiredcreations.com/howTo_CAivoryHorn.htm(near bottom of page)

When
using any of the power buffers... always hold your clay item lightly
(but securely) against thebottom third (of the
visible part) of the turning wheel)......if your clay piece is
heldhighon the wheel, rather than somewhere in the bottom third,and it is jerked out of your hand, it will be flung right
at you ...that won't ever happen if you buff on the
bottom third of the wheel
thoughbecause the item will be carried
down and behind the buffer,
rather than up and toward you)

The
buffing wheel will tend to grab onto items being
buffed, and flingthem (under the wheeland) away from you, if you buff incorrectly:(this will probably
happen at least once to everyone!!)...make sure there aren't any children,
or pets or breakable items in that
trajectory

it's also a good idea to put a box, a towel
or a blanket behind the wheel area both to protect the item
and to make it easier to locate afterwards <g>... strangely enough, most
clay items don't seem to be damaged by this... if so, re-sand and polish that
area.... I'm going to haul out some quilt batting and tack it up
behind the grinder so the beads will hit that when they torque (fly, shoot...)
out of my hand. Hopefully this will keep dented wall to a minimum and encourage
the bead to stop, drop and roll to an area somewhere near my feet. Kim K...we
put the buffer itself into a big open-faced box...you
could line the back of the box with batting as well.. that way you could simply
turn the buffer off & easily retrieve anything that got away from you. Joanie...my
DH made a buffing booth for me which has doubled as his painting booth.......it
also has a light in it (and a bathroom exhaust fan with an extra
filter which can be changed and cleaned after buffing, and esp. sanding).
Phyllis

some things that may make this grabbing and
flinginghappen more easily: ......not holding the item
securely......catching an edge ora projection on
the piece..... moving the piece in and out of the wheel too often,
etc.......buffing small items......using a faster speed
or wheel, ora larger wheel

I wear a latex glove on
one hand.... really helps to keep a grip on those slippery sanded up
items. Geo .....or just use finger cots . . . Kat

beads with holescan beheld more
securely for buffing in several ways:...stiffwire:......thread
several beads on the wire, leaving several inches on each end to get a good grip
....hold the beads tightly on both ends so they don't spin.......I
string a dozen or so on a long piece of beading wire... then wrap both
ends around my hands to secure them ..... then LIGHTLY move the strand against
the buffing wheel.... I do the strand from several
different angles to help get all around the beads, and also hold them horizontally
which will make the beads spin.dixie. ...stiff
rods: .......I put each bead on a wood skewer which
is thinner than the hole in the bead... that way, when I hold the
bead(s) to the wheel, the bead actually spins on the
skewer. ....I do keep the piece moving at all times!... and I do the vertical
thing when I buff, too (side to side, then up and down). Irene .......or use
a slender metal knitting needle, or brass rod or tube, etc.......replacement
metal bike spokes from bike shops cost less than a dollar and are great
for this (they won't bend or cracklike wooden skewers). Sarajane

a
different way (to polish round beads on a buffing wheel)
...into the bottom end of a short length of pipe, insert a dowel (which
is narrower).... then drop a bead into the top of the pipe (which will
rest on the end of the dowel inside the pipe)..... now push thedowel and bead up past the open end of the pipe maybe a third
of the way, and let the bead spin freelyagainst a buffing wheel…..
takes very little time that is how they make spheres out of rock cubes… Faun
...How easy that would be in practise I don't know. I imagine difficulties with
the bead flicking out of the end of a pipe especially if it was pushed up a little
too high. (stones would prob. sit more firmly because
they are heavier, but polyclay might be too lightweight).
...But we won't know til someone tries it!!!! Shelley

I
even let my fingers rest lightly against the moving buffing
wheel as I'm moving the item around against it ... it doesn't hurt my fingers,
though it can get warm if you do it too long....but I think it keeps the item
steadier, and gives more automatic control because every time you
pull the item away from the wheel and put it back,
your fingers sort of forget where the sweet spot was.

rings
or bands or cylinders (of baked clay) can be held securely while
buffing if you put one fingeror moreinside as well.....vessels
usually give your hands 2 orientations to hold on with, which helps...

buffing
dust and safety . . . if you buff a lot,
you may want to be aware of a few things:...the side of the bench next to
my bench grinder is heavily coated with polymer clay powder, and the cement floor
has a lighter dusting but gets swept up now and then. After looking at the heavy
coating, I'm glad I chose not to buff in the house. DottyinCA...Safety dictates
you should wear a light mask when buffing to help reduce the amount you'll breathe
into your lungs. (don't ask me if I do that!) Since what I make to buff is usually
small, I use my buffers right at my project table. What I have learned
to do is drape my project table with a big towel or something to make sure any
raw clay that's sitting there won't get dusty. Desiree

Most bench grinders
run at 3450 RPM. I believe that jewelry buffers run at 1725 RPM
(though most of those are variable speed; 1725 RPM is one of the speeds.)
....Now imagine a spot on the outer edge of a 6-inch wheel.... a 6-inch
wheel on a bench grinder will be moving 4 times faster than a 3-inch wheel
at the 1725 speed on a buffer. . (if you have a bench grinder and want to slow
it down, get a smaller wheel). Irene WNC

Inbuffing, what counts is the surface speed of the wheel.. . . . a large
wheel will have a faster surface speed than a small one (on a motor
of the same RPM).....If your beads are getting too
hot or you are gouging the surface, it may
be that your wheel is too large (or move around more
or don't press in too hard).....Conversly, if takes
too long to buff a piece you may need a larger wheel. Irene WNC

buffing
wheels

The
"rouge" (powders/pastes)usually used for jewlery or rocks aretoo abrasive to use with polymer clay.

Get
the unstitched muslin or cotton or flannel buffing
wheels, in either the 2 1/2-3" or 4" or 6" diameter (depending on
the type and size of your buffer).. less than $5 each.....hard "fiber" buffing wheels can
easily burn/gouge the clay, as do the stitched
ones or the solidhard felt wheels. Patty B....when I
purchased mine many years ago, they were called star buffs. I had to enlarge
the center leather hole so it would fit on my bench grinder, but well worth the
extra effort. If you call Rio, tell them you need a buffing wheel forcold
buffing. Geo

There are several types of polishing
discs that work best on the soft plastic, polymer clay:cloth (i.e.,
muslin, or "cotton" or flannel?)and polyester
felt.

lesson on making your own
buffing wheel with stacks of polyesterfelt disks (to use with a Dremel or other rotary tool) --make sure
you use polyester felt ,NOT
wool.felt....Desiree
says the wool is too coarsehttp://desiredcreations.com/howTo_TLDremelPolish.htm(though there are a few wool felt disk wheels sold for the Dremel
which look a little bit soft --though their surfaces are still coarse... don't
know if those would work, even with a light touch)

I
found some of that faux chamoisstuff at Dollar Tree that people
use to dry their cars ($1 per package) ... it looks like an orangey felt ....it
gave a much better shine than the regular felt or a muslin buffing wheel...I'm
going to cut and cram as many small disks of this stuff
on the flex shaft of the mini-bench grinder (on a Dremel mandrel
--the one that has the little screw on the top to hold the wheel on)...I'll
also make larger disks for the mini-bench grinder itself, then I'll
put those big washers back on either side of it (they came on the grinder to hold
the fiber wheel on).... I will have to use something to cut a hole in the middle
of each circle ... I'm hoping that I will get an even better shine. Chaun

"cloth" wheels:

I thought
muslin was cotton."....Well, it is... but if you visit
a lapidary shop or online supplier, they may have at least two different types
of cotton or "cloth"buffing wheels ....one is stitched and
made from muslin (a slightly coarser cotton),and
another which is unstitchedand is a somewhat softer
cotton....the softer cotton material reduces the scratching
on polymer clay a bit more (however, as Irene said, you don't have to get
the softer version. Besides, I don't know if one's made for a standard woodshop
bench grinder.)

With any cloth wheel,
be sure you use only a one-row stitched cloth wheel with clay ...two
stitches aren't too bad though if they're not too
close to the outer edge ...more than
one row of stitching around makes a the cloth a bit too
stiff and
unyielding for polymer clay (....you can see the stitching when you
look on the flat side of the buffing disk, not on the edge of the disk) ..
however, If you can't find one with just one stitch, you can alwaystake
out all but one row of the stitching ...leaving the row
that is closest to the center of the wheel. Dotty in CA

my cloth
wheel actually has a leather center with no stitching... I bought
itl from a jewelry supply store for $2.65 (..I bought extras at the time
thinking I would need to change them out often...no need though, still using the
same one over 4 years later). Patty B

I recently
doubled the muslin wheels on my Foredom buffer(two wheels,
side-by-side) at the suggestion of several people, including Celie Fago and Kathleen
Dustin, and I am surprised athow muchimprovement
that simple detail (making the buffing surface wider) makes! ...it's
kind of hard fitting two on the spindle though --I tried to enlarge the hole on
the inner one with a blade, but it only helped a littel bit.

Several people suggest using a
firmer wheel and a softer wheel for each clay piece (one
at a time)...Gwen Gibson suggests using a stitched
and an unstitched wheel for clay, if possible.......the stitched one
is firmer and will actually remove a bit of clay,
and can round off squared edges or corners, etc.......the unstitched
one is softer and can be used afterwards to really polish and bring
up the shine...I have mounted a different type of wheel on each
side of my Foredom buffer.....on the left spindle, I have 2 muslin
wheels together (each with 3 rows of stitching) ...on the right side,
I have 1 unstitched muslin wheel (with a small leather disk in its center)
......to bring up a good shine, I do what Nan Roche suggested....first
I do most of the buffing on the tighter wheels of the left side,
and then I do just a light buffing on the looser
wheels of the right side. Karen
in MI

sources for buffing wheels :...one
source for polishing wheels, if you have one in your area, is a lapidary store
(for rocks, etc..... look in the yellow pages)....they tend to sell polishing
lathes and wheels... Desiree...Rio Grandehttp://www.riogrande.com
has an amazing selection of polishing/buffing wheels made from various materials..........the
unstitched star muslin has been highly recommended. .....however,
being an experimenter, I'm tempted to order their "balloon cloth" wheel.
Rio claims it's ultra smooth and silky. ......also, I may order their flannel
buffs. Since flannel is softer than muslin, it should create a better
shine. .....I love Rio Grande's Star buffing wheel...I use one of those
on one end of my Foredom and a (regular?) muslin one on the other...the
best of both worlds, IMHO. Dianne C.

When
the clothwheels are new,
they will throw threads quite a bit.... this will
improve with time....OR you can get rid of many of those loose
threads and also soften up the wheel at the same time in a number of ways:......after
I attached the (muslin) disk, I took a board and ran the wheel against
the edge of it(for a few minutes) it to soften and fray
the muslin. Sally.......take the buffer outside to plug it in,
then turn it on and run the tip of a screwdriver through theouter
surface of the wheel to shred off the loose fibers. (Another tip
from Irene) ......I take the buffer outside.... then I turn it on and hold
the tines of a large metal dog comb into it for a little while (NOT one
those flea brushes where the tines are real close together) ... I hold it firmly
but I don't JAM it in there, just so it has a steady enough contact to knock the
loose threads out.//// I do it on and off for about 10 min's,picking off the long sticky-out threads in between till I have a nice
smooth surface on my wheel again. Joanie

Also,
anewmuslin buffing wheel can easily overheat
thesurfaceof
the clay.... using a light touch is necessary until the muslin softens
up. Dotty

As
I recall, Barbara McGuire uses a sheepskin pad on a drill
or on a rotary sander, and the difference in the before and after of the
piece is incredibly dramatic. Sara Jane NC(this is probably
"wool," but is it soft and loose wool so won't
scratch??)

the Foredom ....a
"jeweler’s buffer"

(see also Buffing Wheels
just above)

Just for the record,
I bought mine from Metalliferous, Inc (34 West 46 St. New York, NY 10036 )...
I don't have their phone # but I believe they advertise in Lapidary Journal.
Their price was lower than that quoted by any other supplier, including
TSI. (I paid $128.00 (all "parts" included) at the time. They are an established
jewelry/metal supply house and delightful to deal with. ...By the way, while
you're spending, get an extra buffing wheel and put 2 on at the same time.
It give you a wider buffing area and thus you can cover a wider area at one time.
.....I recently doubled the muslin wheels on my Foredom (two side-by-side)
at the suggestion of several people including Celie Fago and Kathleen Dustin.
I am surprised at how much improvement that simple detail, making the buffing
surface wider, makes! (Kind of hard fitting two on the spoke, though -- I tried
to enlarge the hole on the inner one with a blade, but it only helped a littel
bit.)

As a dealer of Foredom products,
I can say that all of their products are of good quality. For polymer clay, you
probably can't find a major difference, except that the BL1 is a decidedly better
made machine. If you are a hard-core user, the BL1 is a better choice.
If you only have need for the machine on a irregular basis, the B&G
is absolutely fine. You really can't go wrong with either machine. For the record,
there is another product similar to the B&G made by Grobet USA that
comes with a backsplash for about the same money. Both the B&G and the Grobet
products are essentially flexshaft motors mounted horizontially with dual shafts
that accomodate tapered spindles or arbor adapters. David Feldman, Metalliferous,
Inc.212-944-0909 The Bl-1 is more heavy duty, for sure. The B&G needs
to be secured to the surface you're using or it'll walk. Other than that, for
polymer, it's fine. Meredith ...Foredom variable speed ...Part of the
reason for spending that mucy money is that eventually I want to work in mixed
media with metals, and the Foredom is much better for that than a bench grinder.
Plus you can have two different buffing wheels on at the same time. With metals
you use polish with various grits -- you don't want to use a fine grit buffer
with a coarse grit polish or you can't go back to the fine grit polish, it's contaminated.
(Like sandpaper grades.) So having two on one buffer when polishing silver, say,
means you don't have to dismantle thigns to go to the next step. If you never
want to polish anything but polymer, it might be overkill. . . Sherry B.

The unstitched cotton wheel I have is only 3" in diameter and made for the
smaller jewelry sized buffing wheel. Desiree

I
would suggest getting the star muslin buff from Rio Grande for your Foredom...I
have the variable speed Foredom & use the star muslin buff. It's superior
to any buffs I have used. Dianne

I use
my Foredom between low and medium at the beginning of the buffing... then
I move it up to middle speed at the very end. mamadude

The
"glassiness" of a finish has a lot to do with how well you've previously
smoothed the surface by sanding, etc., and a lot to do with your technique:
--I usually set my Foredom buffer on a rather slow speed and
use more pressure into the wheel to sort of pre-buff the
item all over, --then switch to a higher rpm and back off to using
very little pressure.--I finish up with a flannel
wheel barely touching the surface. .....the flannel wheel is made
to shed fibers constantly, thereby providing a clean surface... seemed like a
handy thing to buy at the time, because I was buffing mostly pearl stuff. ...mica
particles do seem to get embedded in the buffer wheel,
and can then seem to scratch up your surface. The flannel wheel removes
buffer wheel lines, too. You can order unstitched or single-stitched muslin wheels
and flannel wheels from Rio Grande - they're cheap and they last a long time.
Elizabeth

buffing on a Foredom:(website
gone)

other small buffers

minibench grinder:...I have used it for a month now and swear by it..
. . its quiet, and the variable speed is great....it's the 3",
table top grinder/buffer from Harbor Freight for $39.99 .http://www.harborfreight.com
(search for item number 43533) ...vivian...there's a sale
on these until 1/1/2004... I got it by
phone (800-423-2567), for $29.99. I was told
to tell the customer service dept that I wanted item number #
43533-1. I was also told it would be
on sale through the end of the year (until 1/1/2004). SO, there is no need to
be near a store to get it at the sale price! Patti in MD (at retail, the store
personnel may not even know about the sale until it's rung up!) ....Its
a Chicago brand, Item number 43533. the overall dimensions are 8
3/4 x 4 3/4 x 6 1/4. It also comes with a 31" flex shaft
as well, the collet wrench set, grinder stone (which I took off, doesn't work
with polymer), 3" "fiber"
wheel (don't use with clay), and the mounting stone bit. I highly recommend
this one if you can't afford the higher costs foredom variable speed or don't
want to use the loud larger bench grinders/buffers....Home Depot, Loews, Ace
(and Harbor Freight don't carry these smaller muslin flannel wheels)....classified
as a specialty item for jewelry. ...... it's variable speed. The manual says
that it has a "no load RMP" of 0 to 10,000. Which I'm assuming would be top speed
without anything against it. Oh, and in case anyone wonders, the color isn't green
like on the web site. Mine's a sportyyellow. Ginger ....I bought the
(2 1/2) 3" flannel polishing wheel separately from my local
rock shop (its off white, I think they called it a polishing wheel) and
I just drilled the hole larger so that the wheel will fit but that
was pretty easy. vivian....I found some of that faux chamoisstuff
that people use to dry their cars. It looks like an orangey felt. The stuff I
found was from the Dollar Tree and was a buck a package. It gave a much better
shine than the regular felt or a muslin buffing wheel.... Since taking
off the guard, a 4-inch wheel fits on there, instead of a 3 inch, which is good...
the bigger the wheel, the bigger the buffing area. ...... I will cut 4-inch
circles of the faux chamois, then cram as many as I can on that shaft... put
those big washers back on either side of it (they came on the grinder to hold
the fiber wheel on).... I will have to use something to cut a hole in the middle
of each circle.... I am hoping that I will get an even better shine. Chaun....I
haven't used the flex tube part of the machine yet, but I plan to make
a smaller buffing wheel out of the faux chamois as well (several
circles) crammed onto a Dremel mandrel (the one that has the little screw
on the top to hold the wheel on). Chaun........the 4" wheel will not fit under
the guard (but if remove guard?). Ginger.....my
dad cut the cowl off and ground the edges smooth so she could fit a muslin wheel
on it safely. Kathy W. ... can't see how to get the guards off of it. The
wheel on the left is mostly exposed in front, but the one on the right is only
exposed above midpoint. Ginger....I asked about removal of the wheel
cover guards, and I was told that that the bolt holding it on had
to be cut off, but it could be done..Patti in MD... My husband bought
a 4 1/2" steel tapered spindle and put it on shaft where the grinding wheel
was. He had to file down the shaft a little bit, but that was no
problem and was easy to do with a file (he turned the grinder on and held the
file on the shaft and just removed a little bit of the shaft). He did not remove
any thing else from the grinder, did not cut the guard off, because the
shaft is long enough you don't need to remove the guard. . . . He bought the steel
tapered spindle from Hut Products in Fulton Mo for $9.99. They also had
3"..... 35 ply muslin buffing pads to fit it for $1.80 each. You can get them
for the right or left side (because of the direction of the screw
threads?).... He put mine on the left side because of the flexible
shaft being on the right. BTW their website is http://www.hutproducts.com
. . . now my Harbor Freight polisher looks just like the expensive one and cost
much less.Flo ........When I use it, it sets on my dining room table, I put
a damp wash cloth on the table tucked under the wheel cover and the dust
falls to this quite well.. . .its my favorite new toy!!! . . . and the motor is
so quiet that even if I lived with anyone they couldn't complain about
how loud it was. enjoy your new toy, I know I love mine. vivian ...MODIFYING:
I have just removed the housing from my mini bench grinder and hadn't yet posted my final opinionsbecause of time constraints but also because I wanted to work with it a
while (and probably order another part). I'll post my results
here temporarily (which I sent privately to someone) for anyone who needs
them until I get around the discovering the final, best way <g>.....I'm
thinking that it might be best, certainly for larger items, to buy a "spindle"
(see ordering above) for holding the buffing wheel rather than cutting off the
cowl and using the shorter shaft (of course, doing both would be even better maybe
but cutting is a bit of a pain...can be done though, see below). The spindle would
attach to the shaft and cause the buffing wheel to project out past the housing.
This would do two good things: create lots of room on the interior (right)
side for objects to be moved around, especially when buffing longer items
or larger items like bowls; and it would allow lots of room to be created underneath
the wheel if the machine itself were placed on top of a wood box, or turned sideways
so that it projected past the work surface. (Without a spindle, the buffing
wheel is held only a bit more than a 1/2" away from
the machine so there isn't a lot of room to maneuver on that interior side. .
. if we don't get the spindle, however, we'll cut off just a bit more of the housing
which is in that area, but only up to the place where there's an important screw/bolt.)
....Having said that, I have been using what I have to buff some beads and
one longish clay drill bit handle. It does work and gives a nice shine, but I
haven't finished figuring out which speeds are the best; it also feels
like the items have to be held onto even harder than with a larger
grinder (that could change a bit depending on how and where the machine is placed
though, not sure). The buffing wheel seemed to be less soft than my grinder's
buffing wheel (both unstitched), but that may be because it hasn't yet been broken
in sufficiently and the threads are still kind of stiff (seems a little better
already). But it's also true that the big grinder's wheel is 6" in diameter and
that alone could make a difference. ...If you do decide to remove the housing,
what I found worked easiest was a cut-off wheel made for air tools
(works fine in a regular large drill)... we also had to buy a special "arbor"
or whatever it's called to go in the drill to hold the wheel. The cut-off wheel
is 3" in diameter, black, and 1/16" thick (there are several to a package);
this one was made by Campbell Hausfeld (MP2879) and we got it at Home Depot
(I think both together were less than $10). It does go through the metal housing
almost like butter though! After working with the Dremel and it's "heavy duty"
cut-off wheel for 10-15 minutes and not getting very far, it was wonderful to
just zip right through with the other wheel! . . . (We had used the Dremel on
the inside of the housing, but used the larger wheel with the regular drill
on the outside, after clamping it down). ...We didn't remove the
housingto cut ours down because we'd already started with the Dremel,
but with the larger wheel that wouldn't be a bad idea (put in a vise). If we had
removed it, we'd have needed to have also made a usable slot in the bolt
holding it onto the machine (with a Dremel cut-off wheel) because the Phillips
slot the bolt originally had has been intentionally blunted so it's impossible
to use (by the company...they don't see any reason to remove the housing). BTW,
if you don't remove the housing from the machine when cutting, you'll need
to put tape or something over the small openings in the metal around the spindle
area where metal dust could get into
the motor (a no no!). ...We did all our work on the left side
of the grinder (facing it) because using the right side for buffing would prevent
being able to use the flex shaft (which attaches only to the shaft on the
right side). . . I plan on putting a stitched buffing wheel on that side (maybe
a smaller one) to act as a softer "grinder" for removing hard edges etc., but
it's certainly not necessary. Both spindles rotate anytime the motor is on though,
so I'll have to have some kind of cradle to hold the flex shaft while using
the regular buffing wheel. BTW, something they don't tell you is that when
the machine is turned on, sometimes nothing happens.
The DH says that the motor works with brushes, so simply moving the buffing
wheel a bit by hand will allow it to engage properly (turn off first though).
That works. Diane B.

If I understand correctly, the reason you want to take
the cowl off is because you hold the PC piece below the open part of the wheel.
If so, what about not taking off the cowl, but rigging a "frame"
that would allow you to work the machine turned up at a 90 degree angle.
(The feet, which now face the floor or work surface, would then face the wall
behind the operator. You would have to make some kind of support, but it seems
to me that a "soft" cradle (to absorb vibration) inside a frame (wood?), perhaps
with suction cup feet, would allow you to position the unit correctly for working
with PC without removing the cowl. Karen NC

(I got myForedom from Metaliferrous in NYC for $167) but to tell you the truth, I like
my little bench grinder (from Craftsman) just as well. I wish now
that I had resisted the urge to "upgrade". I really thought it would be a great
improvement but it isn't.. It's just as portable as the Foredom ...LTSEWNEW

Lortone
(and a lot of other folks) makes a smaller, variable speed, two
sided polisher with hood. Paul ...price??

(some things
under Foredoms above will also apply to these small buffers)

regular
size bench grinders

Regular size bench grinders can be found
at Sears or hardware stores, as well as online, for $39(and up). They usually come equipped with two grinding stones (one on each
side) (one of which we usually replace with a fluffy muslin wheel or two).
. . . .Each side has a clear protective hood over it, which needs to be removed
for muslin wheels and polishing....Sears has a Craftsman,
6 in. bench grinder, Bench Buffer (max 1 hp, 3450 rpm ...1/2 in. shaft)
which comes with two cotton wheels. $99

I've
worked on a Foredom as well as several other jewelry buffers and find that with
my Black and Decker bench grinder I can bring a shine up much faster.
Outside of this, there is nothing wrong with the other buffers, I just prefer
the speed of my own buffer. ....The variable speed element
is not one I have a need for with polymer. (With metal and stones, the variable
speed is valuable, but for polymer I find that the higher the RPM the better and
faster the shine.) Dotty

It's been a
while since I did the necessary modification on my bench grinder, but
from what I remember I just took off all the hood coverings, the
grinding wheels and put on my own buffing wheel and that was it. (I got
my buffing wheel from Rio Grande - it's called a star buff
for cold buffing.) ...I also had to enlarge the hole in the
center of the buffing wheel to make it fit on the bench grinder. Geo ...May
also have to buy the right size arbor to make them fit???? ...(my new
wheel is wobbly. Any workaround?? Kelly) Do you only have one muslin
wheel on it? The threads that the bolt goes on didn't reach all the way to the
wheel, so I put 2 wheels on mine....it holds nice and snug now. **lori

Be sure and remove
the guard from around the wheel (of the bench grinder), as it's dangerous
for several reasons. . . . . Besides that, with the guard on, you can't position
your piece against the wheel in the right place. Your piece should be against
the wheel between the bottom and the lower front side. Support the piece with
your left hand held underneath it, flat. Hold it with your right hand. Move it
around using both hands. Dotty...(if your guard is in two parts) . . . yes,
do take off the second (lower) guard too. You need access to the
bottom front of the wheel. . . . even part of the guard
left on can catch a bead or other small object and it can be whirled around
and shoot back at you. Without the guards, it will
shoot away from you. Dotty

I buff
them on myBlack and Deckerbench grinder that has been converted
to a buffer by adding a soft muslin wheel. This gives me a glass-like shine.
The grinder has a high RPM so it acts almost like another extremely fine
sanding. ....(If I didn't buff, I would probably go to higher grits
of sandpaper or the 0000 steel wool which gives a lovely satin
finish.)

(When you figure
the RPM plus the size of the wheel you're using) ....if you want
to slow down a bench grinder, get a smaller cotton/muslin wheel.
Irene WNC

The rotation and vibration of a (normal-size)
bench grinder will make the machine either jump, or walk
(sometimes run.) Grinders are powerful machines, which is one of the reasons that
they bring up a shine on a sanded piece of polymer clay so fast and easily. You
have to bolt or clamp it down to something. Mine is in the garage
and is bolted to the workbench. . . . You could also attach it to a sturdy
board and then use some of the "pump" type clamps to clamp it to some type
of counter where you can get the clamp underneath. Once securely fastened, it
will work great. Dotty ....I just drove a couple of nails into the
holes and edge-indentions in the footplate of my bench grinder;
the nails extend into the workbench and hold the grinder well. . . . it quiets
the extra noise it was making too. Diane B....That rubbery waffle-weave
shelf liner (by Rubbermaid) is precisely what I use under my Foredom
buffer. Kat... I put the buffer on top of a Rubbermaid plastic crate
that holds my fabric (you know -- the big blue ones you buy at Target). Anyhow,
that buffer didn't move a centimeter. It left black marks on the top of the crate
but it didn't move at all! Deirdre

Deltagrinder/buffer I found at Lowes that has a variable speed
. . .sells for $69, rpm is from 2000 to 3450
Bev ...The Delta is designed for big wheels and runs fast
and hot! Mine usually sets in the barn for use on garden tool sharpening.

I went to Big Lots and bought the $20 bench grinder. It
was 3/4 HP and 3450 RPMs. I converted it to a buffer and started buffing ink pens.
By the fifth pen the grinder was smoking....Smoke
was pouring out of it!!! I was afraid to leave it in case it burst into flames
and burned up the house. My DH went to Lowe's and bought a $30 grinder which was
1/2 HP and 3450 RPMs. It has a wonderful light attached. I can't see where it
is really any better than the one from Big Lots except for the light .. .my Dad
...said that once he bought 10 grinders and 6 out of the ten did exactly as I
described. He said that it probably wasn't anything that I did. He said his buffer
is an inexpensive one and he has been using it for 25 years. He said to keep
taking them back until I got one that worked. Lisa

Just
one more thing about the buffers. Since I work with my kaleidoscope barrels which
are quite large and awkward to buff, I could never manage them on the Foredom.
It would take forever I think, and be a lot more work. The Foredom is fine for
jewelry and small pieces, but for bowls, vessels, and shapes like my kaleidoscopes,
the B & D bench grinder is a much better choice. I can also do small pieces,
even very small beads on it also. Dotty in CA

other
(mostly electric) "buffers"

My
wonderful dh sort of made a buffer for me. Took an old Power Drill, :fitted
two muslin wheels onto it, and turned it upside and stuck it in :a heavy duty
vise. Bunny...You can clampa regular
drill to a table & use it like a table buffer, if you want more
power or to work with a larger wheel. It's easier and safer to have
both hands free. . . . (just make sure it's stable.
You can still hurt yourself... always be VERY aware of your movements when working
with power tools...and put them away if you find yourself having a "clumsy day"or
feeling very tired). Joanie...
I clamp it into a vise and move the clay onto itunstead of it onto the clay. Marty ...I
have a small vise that I lay my dremel in (putting the on/off
switch on top where I can get to it easily). This holds the dremel in place
and steady and I can use it like a foredom buffer or bench grinder depending on
what wheel I have on it. Elise

You can buy
a separate drill stand for the Dremel....set up the
Dremel w/ buffing wheel in the stand & treat like a table buffer.Judi...most
info on using a Dremel is on the Tools page
> Dremels)

As
I recall, Barbara McGuire uses a sheepskin pad on a drill or rotary
sander, and the difference in the before and after of the piece is incredibly
dramatic. Sara Jane NC

Contour Sander, Dremel http://www.dremel.com/productdisplay/tool_family_template.asp?SKU=6000&Color=99CCFF.
. . . has multiple contour-shaped sandpapers (like cylinders squashed lengthwise,
which clip into the sander), variable speeds.... If I recall, it ran in the neighborhood
of $69 in thekit, which included several sanding belts as
well as a set of "shapers" ... these are rubber bits with
various different shapes to better mimic the contours of the piece being sanded..
.it works on the same premise as the rotary tool. It uses different attachments
that are specially shaped for sanding and buffing. . . . I use a piece of soft
cloth around the attachment bar to buff my PC to a fine sheen. I just
cut a square and wrap it around the bar then secure it back into place.

Scumbuster
(rechargable bathroom, etc., scrubber) --Elizabeth's article on adapting a Scumbuster
http://www.pcpolyzine.com/february2001/scumbuster.html
...She also has a piece of old denim attached for buffing. Note
that you get a different effect on each grit if you are sanding close to the center
or at the outside. Lenora

If
you have any electric motor with a shaft, you can adapt
it into a buffer. My DH used a 1/3 hp. motor which had a 1/4" shaft, mounted
onto a 2" x 6" wood block which was bolted to the end of my heavy duty work bench.
I went to a jewelry supplier and purchased a tapered spindle which attaches
to the shaft with a set screw. Onto the spindle, I mounted a single stitch 4"
muslin buffing wheel. There are a couple of places where you can buy the tapered
spindle: Rio Grande Supplies, Tools & Equipment: 1-800-545-6566 (M-F, 8:30-5:30
MT) www.riogrande.com; or Gorbet USA….perhaps you can search your yellow pages
for jewelry supplies. . . the spindle was only about $6.00 and the buffing wheel
about $3.00. Patty B.

Try a hand-held
battery operated shoe polisher to buff your clay creations. You can use
the brush to get into grooves and tight spots; the buffer to shine. It speeds
the buffing time and eliminates arm strain. They are relatively inexpensive and
can be adapted with your own replacement buffing pads. Michele ....I bought
a large commercial shoe buffer (the kind they have at hotels) at a garage
sale a few years ago. It's my favorite buffing tool. I can push the clay item
into it with my whole hand and not worry about hurting myself, and it does a nice
job of shining the item up. The one I have is built into a metal box, too, which
catches any strays. Nuchi ....... I found an old shoe polishing machine
(made by Dremel) at a thrift shop. ...I have no idea what the big
polishing pads are made of but the left one is fluffy red, the right one fluffy
black... it has the on/off switch (push button) on the base, and fits on
a table ...can't compare it with other methods because I've only used
a piece of soft cloth before, but it works well. (I passed by a fancier one
a couple years ago because it had a long handle on it at a 90 degree angle
to the base, which would be fine for shoes, but not handy for PC.) Karen
in NC

my hand mixer ....came with these long, narrow curlique looking
beaters for kneading bread ...I took some super soft velour fabric I had,
cut a big square, folded it in fourths, rubber banded to the end of one beater,
used it on low speed, and voila! It really brought out the shine the way
hand buffing had not. My mixer worked with only one beater "plugged in,"
I'm not sure if all do. trena_b

I'm
wondering if I could use the electricfiling & buffing kit
made for use on fingernails that I have for buffing out my clay. It
has attachments much like my dremmel but lighter and smaller. Think its called
The Nail Genie from the beauty supply store. Think it will work? Sandy
....I got an electric nail file by Revlon (a cheapy) and I was so disappointed
because when I put enough pressure to file or buff my nails, it just stopped!
...didnt have enough power..... BUT then, I used it to file (sand) some fingerprints
out of a very tight area (between the nose and cheek) of a face i am making and
it worked like a charm and FAST!!...BUT dont push too hard
...they dont take much pressure to use at all... There are different
tips and one is very small. Jade...I do lots of cab face things and it
would be wonderful to have a small tool like that to do the sanding
around eyes and noses. jazzybead2...however, DO NOT ever use these nail buffers
to actually buff (the
top of)your nails ..... i was
a nail tech...afterward your nails will flake and
crack and go to pot! ...these also produce heat,
and so can damage your nail bed and cause serious
permanent damage. (if you use them on your cuticles, you may go too deep, resulting
in ridges, infection and all sorts of horrible pain).... taking layers off your
nail also opens up room for nasty things to get in the layers and cause problems.
twiggy...I just have a pointed tip and a big egg shaped one...
the others are like flat round things so I cant use them. Jade

While
I was standing in line at Walgreen's I saw a cheap ($5) battery-powered
soft toothbrush with a rotating head, which I thought might work pretty
well for buffing. I'm still not sure how great it is for that, but I did try it
today on unbaked clay to take the fingerprints off, and I was pretty impressed
with the ease and the results. Anybody else have one of these? I've actually wondered
how it would be to use it with toothpaste on baked pieces! Suzanne (Knoxville)

(for
slower speed) I just bought ahand cranked bench grinder
for polishing metal. It is wonderful! It goes at a much slower speed (controlled
by me) and doesn't whip the piece out of my hands. Yet it still does a great job
on polishing. I can even crank it in the reverse direction and not have to worry
about losing an eye. I bought it off eBay for $7, but you could also buy a new
one for around $16. http://www.toolsale.com has them (although I don't know if
it's listed on the site). It's a great tool and it won't break the bank to try
it. Jill

tumble
buffing

I agree with Dotty that (tumble)
buffing doesn't give it the same high shine
that buffing on a regular buffer does, but I like the effect. ntt2...would
using the heat method below make for a higher shine? (using which
materials? in a vibratory tumbler?)

BAGS: If you made a felt
bag, put the beads and more felt pieces in the bag and then tumble
them, what would happen in the vibrating tumblers? I am thinking it might
work better that way as all of the beads would be contained within felt. ....I
made a flannel pouch that would fit in the barrel,
and then also added little pieces of flannel and the beads
(the little pieces may not be needed.)....I have gotten a nice shine after
only 4 hours, but I usually leave them in overnight
(about 8 hours.) . ... remember to make sure that the beads aretotally
dry before buffing them in the tumbler (I didn't ruin them, but I had
to make a new pouch and buff them again!) Helen

PIECES only: ... run
the beads through a tumbler with a batch of wool felt squares after
you are all done sanding, cut up to the same size as your sandpaper squares (1/4
to 1/2 inch?).......Timing depends on how much you have sanded, how smooth
the beads are and how high a shine you want on the beads. I've been playing with
this technique a while now and have gotten GOOD results...Connie ...
I was happier withfelt (polyester or wool felt?)
than I had been when trying cotton diapers...........I cut the
felt into circles that just fit into the tumbler.... I put the first
circle in the bottom. Then I take a strip of felt and put it against the sides.........
then I put inlayersofbeads separated by
circles of felt....etc....until its about 3/4 full. ..........then
put the drum on the tumbler and off it goes! ....This is with no liquid ;)) ..........I
don't have a specific time...I just check every two or three hours and take the
beads out when I'm happy with the shine. ..........Also, you may want to "stir"
the beads up a bit....the ones in the bottomlayer
don't pick up a shine quite as fast..... ..You could also try this using polyester
batting...or any fabric you would normally use to buff
beads......btw, between grits, I was wiping off the beads
by hand during my last dry tumbling run with those static dusting cloths
... they were bringing up a nice shine (haven't tried them in the tumbler). Jules
...I tried felt pieces in my vibratory tumbler.... the beads vibrated
and wiggled right through the felt pieces and settled in
the bottomof the bowl, leaving the felt floating
(?) and useless above. ........When I tried felt pieces
in my rotaty tumbler, they got pummeled and packed
against the tumbler sides (felt is really really good at sticking to itself)
This meant the beads were primarily tumbling around hitting each other.........Including
a fabric liner with the fabric pieces (just not felt), would definitely
make the tumble buff more efficient, however. Desiree

old
denim & jeans:...I cut up olddenim
jeans, and I taped them on the sidesas well as putting inloose
bits. Buffing with these in a barrel tumbler works really well. Susheke... I cut up a pair of used demin jeans into roughly half-inch squares,
threw them and a few of my tumble sanded beads into my kiddie tumbler.... I let
them tumble for about 20 hours, but they didn't look too much shinier than they
did after 7 hours . . ....tumbling buffing with denim produces a low
luster sheen on a clay surface which previously sanded with high grits
(1000, 1500) ....(I
tumble sand from 400 grit to 2500 grit) ...then a final cycle in
the tumbler withdenim--one day usually suffices for buffing.
dixie...I've tried a few different fabrics and found
that the denimworks the best....you're right, it doesn't take longer than
8 hours.. Carolyn, Mass....for getting a hold of old denim,
think thrift store/resale shop... prewashed old denim....... also lots
of weights and finishes to select from, and cheap. . . you may even
pick up some interesting findings (buttons, clasps) as an added bonus with old
denim garments. Karen NC...since I don't have any old denim, I went out and
bought some new denim.... cut it up and popped
in my handy dandy little red tumbler with some new beads that had a lot of transluscent
layering and voila! 12 hours later,it had stained
my beads blue! ...so be sure to wash new denim
several times before using it to buff the beads! Christine ....If you can,
try to find white denim, because after
a while the blue from a pair of old used jeans I used did start to
tint the beads. Desiree

(after denim-tumbling, for
an even higher shine)...the best surprise was that then
high-speed buffing the denim-tumbled surface was lightning fast!
...Dremel buffing a previously-denim-tumbled bead took about
30-60 sec.!....(using a Dremel, it normally it takes me about 5-10
minutes to buff a sanded bead to a high shine)

I got someshiny
smooth polyester which I to plan to try.... I've found that polymer and
polyester/acrylic-based things, like polyester felt and acrylic
finishes, go together quite nicely. So I've a feeling, the shiny smooth polyester
fabric for tumbling should do well. ......I don't know if there is a softer
fabric that could create a higher shine than denim when tumbled.
Has anyone has tried certain polyesters or silks? Desiree

I
let my beads tumble with an small pieces of oldt-shirt for 2
days (just beads & fabric) after sanding... great polish! Valerie

LePoppet is introducing Micro-Surface Polishing Fabric on Ebay.
The fabric is the same type used to get a "glass-like" finish on bowling balls
and comes in 3200 and 3400 grits . . . Each piece measures 3"x6"
and is perfectly capable of lasting through5 or 6 tumbling sessions
in a rock tumber. Maria

OTHER

My
14 month son threw one of my polymer pens into the clothesdryer(when I blinked).... the interesting part is that it came out kind of shiny....
as if I buffed it.... Hmmmmmm.... Can this be an "easy" way to shine my beads
and things...<snip> Maybe this will be known as the Zohar method
(my son's name) which means sparkle/shine in Hebrew? . . .

(This
idea is originally for sanding, but would
it work for buffing too?)...I especially liked their
tip about using a clothes dryer as makeshift tumbler (which uses
a separate container to hold the pieces). Desiree http://www.theworkshop.net/Tips/wood_tips/woodwork_tips.htm#sand"....quick,
easy sanding of multiple small pieces: ...Most manufacturing operations
use abrasive tumbling machines to remove burrs from small pieces. Chances are,
you have the makings for such a machine in your laundry room...called a "clothes
dryer". . . . ...Find a soft, plastic containerthat contained
margarine, lard or similar products. The 5-lb size is a good choice..
. . Line the inside of your container with sandpaper, double-stick
taped or glued into position. Place your small pieces inside the container and
snap the top into position. Toss the container into the clothes dryer, along
with a blanket or several heavy towels. Set the dryer on a "no-heat"
setting, turn it on and let it do the work for you. Remove it frequently to
check on your progress.".....also see Tumbling
> Misc. for more on using the dryer to "tumble sand"

washing
machine....will crate a lovely smooth, satin finish on beads...
put baked beads (sanded first?) into an old sock ...add small strips
of white cotton....knot & place in a lingerie bag... then in a 2nd lingerie bag. ....throw in a regular wash with the
clothes (any setting or temp., but no bleach)...
remove at end of wash, and allow to dry. Nanetta

Someone mentioned using
a salad spinner for (sanding or buffing?) clay beads.

Other
Ways to get a high-gloss shine

baking
on slick surfaces (no sanding or buffing):...Baking polymer clay pressed
tightly against a very smooth surface (sheets of glass, metal or ceramic
tiles or smooth aluminum foil, etc.) will also give a high-gloss finish
to the side contacting that surface......when the clay is removed after cooling,
it's surface will be glassy because polymer clay softens while heating
and takes on the texture of whatever it's touching (this is also
what causes those unwanted shiny spots on clay after baking if there has
been contact here and there with alum. foil...the same thing happens when polymer
bowls are created over temporary glass bowl armatures and the clay completely
contacts the glass; in that case the interior of the bowl will have a really glassy
finish while the outside will be matte). ...To
make shiny tiles for example, for mosaics or other things, some clayers
will press a sheet of raw clay (patterned or not) to a sheet of glass to bake...
then cut tiles or other shapes from the sheet afterward (yields one shiny
side)...PöRRö's shiny flat surfaces from baking
between 2 tiles ..(ceramic tiles) with a weight on top? (both sides
shiny) http://members.surfeu.fi/porro/eninti.htm
(more in Mosaics > Tiles?)

brief high heat...
I had a wonderful accident the other day... I bumped up the temp to 350 degrees
just to raise the temp slightly but quickly. I hadn't realized that the top elements
would come on (as well as the bottom ones), and my pan with beads was on the
top shelf. ....the elements got red hot and I noticed smoke (not a lot
but enough to know what was happening). ....I immediately removed the
beads and they were perfectly shiny! ... and no burns or markings at all.
Just perfectly shiny.... Now I'm thinking there must be a way to do this, on purpose.
To shine beads without having to sand, polish, or glaze. Wouldn't that be great!?
Especially for those small 7mm beads that you would never do that
to anyway. Cindy P. ......the shine I got was actually a complete accident.
I used FimoClassic and I'm pretty sure I burned it, cause there was smoke
coming out of the oven. When I pulled my items out, they had that shine. (I've
only used FimoSoft before and that one bakes to a nice matte finish even when
you burn it). honeysuckle

more on electric-buffing
SAFETY

buffing
safety:......tie back your hair
( you don't even want to hear that story!),
remove dangling necklaces and bracelets, and tightly
roll up your sleeves......wear eye
protection. - Wear a dust mask. The cotton wheel
throws off tiny fibers that you do not want to breathe (esp.new ones).....buff
somewhere (the porch, the garage) where no one else, human or animal,
will breathe the fibers, or be hit by a flying bead.....buff on the underside
of the wheel, so flying pieces fly *away* from you.I have my wheel on the porch and there's a giant bag of birdseed
behind it. It keeps anything that gets torn from my fingers from disappearing
and often from breaking.

My DH
watched me buffing with my handy bench grinder the other day, and gave me the
"shop teacher lecture". Guys get this in basic 7th grade shop class, apparently..
to wit: hair pulled back.--rings and watch off.----sleeves short or firmly rolled
up.--necklaces, scarves and loose or floppy clothes off.--goggles on.--dust-grade
mask on for buffing or grinding. It seems harsh, but I'd rather be harsh than
lose digits (or get my hair caught in the machine) Beth ...A friend of mine
decided to buff up one of her beads that was hanging on a cord already. And she
buffed this bead while the
cord was around her neck
- what was she thinking? Let's just say she was VERY lucky to have been able to
turn the switch off in time. Geo

Be
certain you weara dust mask when buffing. Always!... Even if
you manage to buff without one for some time, you can suddenly begin getting
a very bad reaction to the clay dust. I know, I had been buffing without one for
a year and then suddenly I began getting a asthma-like
attack which I'd never had before. It got really acute. Since then I've
always worn a mask and never had it happen again.

Hold
the piece (almost at the bottom) of the wheel. If you hold it higher and
more forward and it should torque out of you hand, it will be flung right at you.
When (not if!) the wheel sends something flying, it will shoot out behind
the buffer with quite a bit of speed and intensity. Some people put a box
or blanket behind the wheel to protect the item (and make it easier to
locate). Make sure at
least that there areno pets, people or breakable items
in that area. Irene

MISCELLANEOUS

no
buffing

brief high heat ...for gloss finish without
buffing (?)...I had a wonderful accident the other day... I bumped up
the temp to 350 degrees just to raise the temp slightly but quickly. I
hadn't realized that the top elements would come on as well as the bottom ones,
and my pan with beads was on the top shelf ..the elements got red
hot, and I noticed smoke (not a lot but enough to know what
was happening).....I immediately removed the beads and they
were perfectly shiny! ... and no burns or markings at all. Just
perfectly shiny. Now I'm thinking there must be a way to do this, on purpose.
To shine beads without having to sand, polish, or glaze. Wouldn't that be great!?
Especially for those 7mm beads that you would never do that to anyway. Cindy P.(clay
probably softened a bit so smoothed out... but on bottom a non-shiny spot,
or elevated on skewers?)

buffing plus liquid finishes

I
have a few reasons for applying Varathane over
the buffing. . . that way the Varathane has less to adhere to,
and more of the excess sheets off rather than adhering as a thicker coating
(that's when you get that "glopped on" look).. (I also wait at least 24
hrs. after the Varathane dries before handling at all.). . . .For
one thing, the buffing does seem to lose its shine, especially in a piece
that gets a lot of knocking around, such as a pendant.
. . . the surface of a varathaned piece is a lot more durable
than that of an item that has been buffed only
(wouldn't you expect it to? after all, it IS a floor finish!)(In fact,
I did a craft show last weekend, and a customer from last year came up to my table.
She was wearing a pendant that she had bought. She told me that she wore it at
least three or four times a week, and blah, blah, blah, but as I listened, I marveled
at the rock-hard shine it still bore. Not a scratch on it. Whereas, I have a few
pendants that I polished up really well with my buffer. I thought they were so
shiny that I didn't need to do a thing more. Over a few wearings, they have become
quite dull by comparison. So, my perception is that the varathane finish gives
it a much greater permanence.) . . . Second, since I want to achieve the
ultimate transparency and glassiness, I go the extra mile
to buff AND varnish. I think it makes a difference.?. . . A third reason
is that it gives added strength over glued areas. Some of my pendant
loops are leaf-back bails that are attached with superglue. We all should be aware
that with time the superglue bond can fail. As an insurance policy against that
happening, I press the the bail into the back of the pendant before curing. After
curing, sanding, and buffing, I glue the bail into place in its pre-formed groove.
then I dip the pendant into the varathane, covering the pendant
entirely - including the leaf part of the bail....(for those which
weren't treated this way) I end up having to resurface with the finest grit
of sandpaper, buff, and then dip in Varathane, like I should have done in the
first place. Elissa

For an extra-elegant sheen or shine, a
several roundsof buffings can be used after
using a liquid finish....After
sanding/buffing. . . I put a VERY thin coat of Future (or other liquid
acrylic like Varathane, etc.?) on the piece.......when it's dry, I bake
for 10 mins.......then I take it to the buffing wheel again.......(
I don't do it very often cos it's so many extra steps, but the shine is
really fantastic when I do (without being an artificial type shine). Shelley M....I
have buffed some older pieces, even over Future, and it gives an
incredible gloss to the project. Pam